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Matt Mullenweg, the creator of WordPress and CEO of Automattic runs a billion-dollar company and spoke a little about how he values writing himself but also in the employees that he hires in a piece from Inc.

Why is knowing how to write well so important at Automattic?

Skill in writing is one of the things I look for the most in hiring, because I feel that clear writing represents clear thinking, regardless of someone’s background, or whether they’re a designer or coder or whatever.

The ability to communicate effectively and clearly in written form is not only super important in a distributed company, but I think reflects well on how they approach life in general.

Part of the reason I started blogging and started working on WordPress was because I love writing.

If I can become a better writer, perhaps I can become a better thinker.

Bringing new people into your organization can change your business for the better. It’s easy to evaluate candidates and choose individuals with relevant work history, but this practice does not help to bring new ideas into your business. Consider selecting a leader with a different background than you would normally consider. Individuals with different experiences will help your company to be more innovative and stay ahead of the pack. One way to diversify your company is to hire from a variety of age groups.

Todd Taylor, Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search firm, explains, “‘For the first time ever, we are soon going to have four generational cohort groups working at the same time. People from Gen X, Gen-Y and very soon a new cohort of post-Millenials each interact and network very differently than Baby Boomers…’” With all of the different generations working together in one company, mentorships will prove to be imperative. Experienced employees have a wealth of knowledge to offer new hires, and new employees are full of fresh ideas that they can’t wait to share—both can benefit from this relationship.

Elk was drowning in research over how to complete a certain task. He couldn’t even focus on his business because he was too busy trying to figure out one side of things. Finally he decided enough was enough, it was time to bring in someone who knew that they were talking about. Hiring a consultant to assist him gave Elk the ability to focus on his business instead of having his muzzle in a book the entire day.

Some boys were hanging out by the pond. Playing foolishly around the pond, the boys decided to skip stones on the pond. After getting bored with skipping stones, they saw some frogs by the pond. One of the boys said to the others let’s throw some stones at the frogs. All the boys started hitting the frogs with the stones. As they were playing around, frogs were getting hit and dying. One of the frogs poked his head up and said to the boys to please stop. The boys may be playing a silly game, but it was death for the frogs. The boys stopped throwing rocks at the frogs realizing their idea of fun was killing the innocent frogs. The boys left the pond upset realizing why they were joking and laughing, they were killing the frogs in their favorite pond. No longer would they be able to have fun and play with the frogs.

Lesson: We sometimes do not realize the hurt we can cause when joking around or playing when we should be busy doing more productive things. At the office, it is easy to make what feels like friends, but you may not really know him or her outside of the workplace. Therefore, we may joke and laugh at his or her expense, but while we are having fun, they may be in pain or upset from our jokes. This can be especially dangerous in the workplace. Practical jokes are not meant for the office and can lead to bothersome or to tragic ends. When others are trying to focus on their work, playing around can be dangerous to other people’s safety, such as accidents, lawsuits, or even a workplace-shooting down the line.

Instead of playing around and hurting others, it is important to remember how the other party may feel. Some people are more sensitive than others are and can take it much harder. Remind staff members about how others feel and may react to their words or actions. For safety purposes, it may even be a good idea to implement a “horseplay and joke” policy before things get out of hand.

Hi, my name is Gresham (Gresh) and this is a business blog that I manage with a phenomenal team. I am the Blogger in Chief for CBNation and a media consultant for Blue 16 Media. Helping out business owners with website design and digital marketing. I hope you enjoy this blog. Contact me to set up a time to speak or let's meet for coffee (even though I rarely drink it). You can schedule a time on my calendar HERE. Find me on social media @progreshion.